The Irish data analytics firm CitySwifter has announced a significant partnership with Reading Buses in the UK.
The Reading Buses chief executive officer, Martijn Gilbert, has described the deal as “groundbreaking”.
CitySwifter specialises in helping local bus networks run more efficiently through the use of predictive analytics and big data.
“We’re moving into a new world where the public transport profession is starting to understand the power of its data,” says Gilbert (pictured left).
“The work of CitySwifter is right at the heart of this and is, in my opinion, one of the first credible signs of us being able to do something that will truly help revolutionise bus networks in a digital world.”
The rise of CitySwifter
CitySwifter is a data analytics business on the move. Last year it won a place on the prestigious Intelligent Mobility (IM) accelerator, a partnership between Transport Systems Catapult and Wayra UK.
As a startup, it was one of the teams selected for Bank of Ireland’s second incubator programme in the Innovation Lab in Galway. The firm has also been chosen to join Bank of Ireland’s New York Innovation Lab programme for 2018.
Making public transport better
Explaining how CitySwifter helps public transport buses run better, CEO, Brian O’Rourke (pictured right) says, “Bus scheduling is an art, but now for the first time, we can combine schedulers’ expert knowledge with advancements in data science and technology.”
O’Rourke says it is now time for public transport vehicles like city buses to take full advantage of the power of data analytics. “This partnership with Reading Buses is a big step toward empowering traditional buses to thrive in a data-driven world.”
For more about CitySwifter go here.
For more about Bank of Ireland’s Innovation Lab in New York, read this.
